Kai Barrow Artist Lecture

Kai Barrow’s lecture entitled “Liberating the Imagination: Art and Social Change” on April 11^th was extremely interesting. I had already gotten a change to speak with Kai and her partner Shirlette Ammons in another one of my classes, so I was excited to hear more in depth information about Kai’s artistic influences and her own artwork. She said that art for her needs to incorporate three criteria: 1) dialogue which encourages participation, 2) opposition to embrace contradictions, and 3) desire and passion in quest to transform how we see the world. She gave examples of artists that follow each of these categories, although she said that most include all three. I enjoyed when she talked about the Africobra “Wall of Respect” mural because she told a story about how she painted a few strokes of the mural, which furthered the message of a grassroots, community arts mural.

I was mostly excited to hear about her own artworks. Kai discusses her “Hottentot” collection where she interprets and discusses the story of the Venus Hot n Tot or the South African Dancing Queen. She was put on display in Piccadilly Circus and other places in Europe because she has a big bottom and long labia. I really enjoyed the fact that Kai gave herself “poetic license” and tried to look at the story from a different perspective- she was not a victim, she instead felt in control of the men like a dominatrix. I also enjoyed that she talked about agency and how it is messy, so she depicts messy in her paintings by scratching them or splattering paint.

In general, it is easy to tell the Kai Barrow is extremely passionate about art as a tool for social change. I am happy to know that her and Shirlette will be around the campus for the next few weeks and I am looking forward to hearing more about their collaborative visual opera.

Cindy Sherman portrait

http://www.bbc.co.uk/photography/genius/gallery/images/sherman.jpg

One of Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills, the set of portraits I wrote about in my paper

Yousuf Karsh - Winston Churchill

"The Roaring Lion"

photo by Yousuf Karsh

Winston Churchill, 1941

Amazing expression.

Steve McCurry portrait: "Candy factory worker covered in sugar, Afghanistan"

Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother 1936

Hellen van Meene

One of the portraits by Hellen van Meene and the one I chose to write about in my paper.

Gregory Heisler example

This photo is from Gregory Heisler's collection of portraits of Miners. There is no title given for the photo, or identification of who this individual is but this image is one of the most striking in the collection.

They can be found at http://www.gregoryheisler.com/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=8&p=0&a=0&at=0

Portrait of Matt Damon by Platon

Francesca Woodman, Self-portrait at 13, 1972–1975

A Portrait by Meatyard

Son and Mother at a Crypt - Lexington Cemetery; 1955
by Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Portrait Example- Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry

The Portrait, example by Annie Leibovitz

Bulisova response

In Gabriela Bulisova’s talk, “Collateral Image: Portraits of Iraqi Refugees,” she stated “My lens is not dispassionate, I am an advocate.” I know many people have found this quote to be thought provoking and striking. When we think of the lens of a camera it is something that we usually see as inanimate, lifeless. The fact that Bulisova anthropomorphizes the lens to say that it is not dispassionate, that it is therefore passionate about what it views because she is passionate about what she sees in the camera, is something I find admirable.

The photographs Bulisova showed in her talk were tragic with the wide variance of people who have little more than the clothes on their backs and the wounds they displayed. One of the more heart-wrenching photographs for me was the one of the little girl that is displayed in Upper Montgomery. The little girl, who was stated to be around six years old, had a horrific scar on her right side of her lower chest. It was swollen and malformed; more grotesque because of the fact that it was on such a little girl. It showed that though she survived the battles her country was and currently is going through, she will always have a reminder every time she changes her clothes due to improper medical care. Yet it also says something about the girl that she is comfortable enough to display her injury while she shows her personality with her bright color choices.

On the other hand, the picture of the mother of Iraq was of a different tone altogether. She had a television remote in one hand and a cigarette in the other. When looking at the photograph of such a mundane moment in time, we see that in the chaos of their lives there are moments they are just like the rest of us. According to Bulisova, this woman was a beacon and mentor to many of the Iraqi refugees, even going so far as to open a small school for the children to learn on the read and write. To see such an awe-inspiring woman in such a pedestrian pose seems to be a reminder that we should not place people on pedestals no matter how incredible they are because they are just humans that go about their day-to-day lives like the rest of us.

Overall, I feel that Bulisova’s talk was too short for her to go over everything she wanted to. I was impressed with what she has experienced and commend her on her ability to capture the some of the experiences and attitudes of so many different people.

Gabriela Bulisova Talk

On March 23^rd, I attended Gabriela Bulisova’s talk “Collateral Image: Portraits of Iraqi Refugees”. This lecture was provided more than just information about the situation of Iraqi Refugees. She also gave an overview of many of the projects she has done that work with social justice issues. Bulisova showed us many breathtaking photos, though only a small sample in comparison to her work that is on display in upper Montgomery hall.

One idea Bulisova shared was the idea that her lens is not dispassionate. This idea struck me as a photography student because the lens allows you to capture the image that is before you. Thus, the idea that a lens carries the passions of the photographer makes sense as it’s the individual’s intentionality that defines what is in the frame. At the same time, it was a wonderful experience to actually see the passion come across in the images she presented.

The work she did documenting Iraqi refugees in Syria was by far the most intriguing to me. The suffering and the realities of refugee life in Syria was the center of these photos. One of my favorites was of a woman who she described as “the mother of Iraq”. This woman appeared tough as nails and as Bulisova talked it became apparent that this one woman gave her all to help the children of other refugees.

The other main impact this talk had on me was a greater awareness about Iraqi refugees, as there are over 2.5 million that have fled due to religious or political differences and are now living on next to nothing in Syria. This fact astounded me and it made me appreciate the photos all the more. They showed another side to the conflict in Iraq that most Americans are unfamiliar with. These images that Bulisova took of refugees documented the suffering, whether it is from physical injuries or emotional turmoil due to the squalor of the neighborhood they inhabit outside of Iraq. The photographs captured the story and truly reflected a passion to showcase the emotions of these refugees for the world to see.

Gabriela Bulisova Talk

“My lens is not dispassionate, I am an advocate.” Gabriela Bulisova said this in her talk titled, “Collateral Image: Portraits of Iraqi Refugees” given last Wednesday here at St. Mary’s as a part of the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Colloquium. Driven by social injustice, Bulisova has made a career out of documentary photography. Taking her camera from the aftermath of Chernobyl, the post-Katrina despair in New Orleans, the displacement of Iraqi refugees, to her most recent work with women out of prison in Washington D.C. has allowed Buisova to provide the world with insightful information in order to provoke change.

Though brief, Bulisova’s talk inspired me. With her peaceful presence, one could be mislead, learning with surprise what harsh realities she has exposed herself to in order to expose to the world. It is clear that her projects shed light on some of the most horrific human tragedies, known to many, but never actually seen before. Her most telling work, I thought, was that of the Iraqi people in hiding in Demascus, Syria. Bulisova’s unique composition and framing coupled with the subjects’ vulnerability, makes her photos come off as stunning portrayals of the hardship and suffering of these people.

Similarly, her recent project on women facing society after prison speaks to me. While I cannot relate to this experience, I felt something for these women, who have to do more than twice the work of any other woman to redeem herself in a world they know only as drugs, alcohol, violence, and crime. While I recognize that the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Colloqium focuses on women in war, I felt Bulisova should have focused on her prison project to truly enlighten us on the difficulties women face in today’s society.

Spacial Hierarchy and Flatness, reposted from my comment

I decided to repost the pictures that the links in my comment led to.

Nicholas Nixon, Covington, KY 1982 for flatness.

For Spacial Hierarchy: Randy Sartori, AD Thomas Elementary School, Hazleton, PA, 1993.

Spatial Hierarchy

Vantage/Flatness

Photo: Michael Wolf

1. Please be prepared to discuss the FOUR elements that create the Depictive Level.

Flatness- world is three-dimensional, lens is two-dimensional; objects at two different distances are imposed upon one another, creating a new relationship

Frame- separates inside the frame from outside the frame, creating a focus on the world; frame focuses the viewer on a specific object; some frames can be active, some just envisioning a larger landscape;

Time- the world is moving, but a photo is a single moment in time; affected by the duration of the exposure and the staticness of the final image

Focus- the focus of the photographer shows a “spatial hierarchy”, or what the photographer intends to have the viewer focus on.

2. Consider the statement: “Discreet parcels of Time”. Be prepared to discuss examples.

The length of time for a photo: If a very short time, quick moving objects are seen clearly. If a long time, quick moving objects are blurry. It depends on what the photographer want to convey. The photographer’s actions create a new moment in time that may not be seen in real time.

3. Vantage point is the key to Flatness – it can solve the picture more than compose one. Be prepared to discuss what this means – AND – post an image to CLASS BLOG that illustrates this point. Be ready to discuss it.

A vantage point can make associations between some objects while separating others because the lens shows a flat surface. The image at the top shows two buildings in downtown Chicago. The angle of the shot makes the two buildings appear flat against the lens, almost indistinguishable.

4. We are doing work around the issue of the FRAME – how does what Shore presents compare and deepen what you know already?

I knew the frame delineated the edges of a photo, but have never really thought about how the frame influences the picture. I liked seeing the examples of the frames that either capture an image in its own world, or images where the frame makes you wonder “What’s beyond?” like the picture of kids walking their dog on page 61.

5. Consider the term “spatial hierarchy” – what does that mean? Please Post an example of this on our CLASS BLOG.

Spatial Hierarchy shows the photographer’s intent by showing some objects in focus to highlight their importance while blurring others to direct your attention away. I also liked the illusion that the picture on page 85 presents, a parking lot under a huge sky, but the sky appears closer than the mountains in the distance.

In the following picture, spatial hierarchy is used to draw your attention to the bamboo poles out of the truck. It is almost like an explosion on the lens. Then, you notice the men on top of the truck and the trees in the background.

PLEASE POST YOUR RESPONSES TO CLASS READING FROM "THE NATURE OF PHOTOGRAPHS" BELOW HERE

Do this in a separate POST. THANKS!